With the advent of spreadsheet applications, computer and computer software users have become accustomed to processing and manipulating enormous amounts of data and using spreadsheet functions to perform many simple to very complex calculations and organizational functions with their data. Typical spreadsheet solutions provide a grid made up of rows and columns for receiving and manipulating data. Current spreadsheet solutions may include a fill handle operable to fill series (e.g., number series, days of the week, months, etc.) and fill copy (e.g., copying fixed sets of data, copying functions with self-adjusting cell references, etc.), and allowing users to save time by not needing to repeatedly type in data in certain scenarios.
As more and more computers with touch interfaces are being provided, automated data entry solutions may be of even greater advantage to users, as it is generally more difficult to type via a touchscreen, and soft keyboards can sometimes cover up to half of a screen. Current fill handle designs may not be very discoverable; and therefore, many users may not enjoy the benefits of fill series and fill copy. Additionally, current fill handle designs may not be optimal for touch input. Current designs may also not leverage the rich data store of information available in external data sources and on the Internet to identify patterns and to provide suggestions for fill results. A way of recognizing partial series of data and automatically and contextually offering suggested data to complete the series and/or a way of recognizing an editing pattern applied one or more items in a series and automatically and contextually offering the user the option to apply the pattern to the remaining items in the series would be an improvement providing a technical advantage over the current state of the art because it would improve the efficiency of the user in creating and editing spreadsheets and reduce the amount of typing required, especially when using touch based user interfaces.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made. Although relatively specific problems have been discussed, it should be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein should not be limited to solving the specific problems identified in the background.